Chemical and Biological Sciences

Dr. James Sniezek

Dr. James Sniezek is the Instructional Dean for the Chemical and Biological Sciences unit, and is housed at the Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus of Montgomery College. Dr. Sniezek manages a division serving students in the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

Dr. Sniezek has been associated with Montgomery College as a faculty member in the Biology Department, having taught at both the Rockville and the Takoma Park/Silver Spring campuses. He is a lecturer at the University of Maryland, College Park where he teaches majors-level biology for post-baccalaureate students. Past teaching experiences include the College of Southern Maryland, Prince Georges Community College, and Frederick Community College.

Dr. Sniezek is active in committee work primarily centered around curriculum development. While faculty, he served as chair of the Collegewide Curriculum Committee, a member of the General Education Committee, a member of many College Area Review Committees, and has led numerous professional development seminars through the Center for Teaching and Learning. He is a graduate of Montgomery College’s Leadership Development Institute and has authored three new courses in biology. In 1999, Dr Sniezek was awarded an NSF grant for Facilitating the Comprehension of Biological Principles through the Creation of Modules Utilizing Interactive Computer Assisted Instruction and Hands-On Investigative Exercises. In 2007, in collaboration with the University of Maryland, College Park, he received NSF funds for a project titled: MathBench Modules: Mathematics for All Biology Undergraduates. He was granted Sabbatical Leave in 2008 to work on the project: Design and Incorporation of Collaborative Learning Exercises, Relevance, and Mathematics into General Biology Labs.

Dr. Sniezek received both his Doctorate and Master’s degrees in Zoology from the University of Maryland, College Park. He did his post-doctoral research at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, researching the Production Estimates of Planktonic Ciliates in the Rhode River by Community, Trophic Category, and Specific Species. He has several publications and remains active in research at the Smithsonian Marine Station in Fort Pierce, Florida. He serves as a reviewer for the scientific publications Zootaxa and the Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology.

In the community, Dr. Sniezek has sat on the Board of Trustees for MMCI (Monococy Montessori Communities, Inc.) as a Friend of Education. He has served two term as PTA President at Walkersville Elementary School as well as two terms as President of the Walkersville Middle School PTSA. He also donates his time to the Fredericktowne Rotary Club.